Facilitating academic performance in college: understanding the role of clear and organized instruction

Extensive research on college impact has identified a range of practices that enhance students’ academic outcomes. One practice—clear and organized instruction—has received increasing attention in recent research. While a number of studies have shown that clear and organized instruction is related to a range of postsecondary outcomes, researchers have not considered the mechanisms that link this educational practice to student outcomes. In this study, we draw on the constructivist theory of learning to identify potential mechanisms that may explain the relationship between clear and organized instruction and academic performance. Results from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, including an analytical sample of 7116 students attending 38 four-year institutions in the USA, indicate that three mechanisms examined—faculty interest in teaching and student development, academic motivation, and academic engagement—explain almost two-thirds of the relationship between clear and organized instruction and first-year GPA. When students experience greater exposure to clear and organized instruction, they perceive their faculty as being more invested in their learning and development, and they report being more academically motivated and engaged in their studies. Moreover, students who enter college less academically prepared benefit more from exposure to clear and organized instruction.     

The department-wide approach to improving faculty instruction in higher education: A qualitative evaluation

This study applies qualitative methods to evaluate a model for the improvement of university teaching. According to this model, a departmental instruction specialist comprehensively treats issues concerning the quality of instruction within the department. This specialist gets to personally know all faculty members in need of teaching improvement and initiates preventive measures prior to the development of severe problems in instruction. Two years of implementation in the Physics Department at Tel Aviv University have shown an increase in quality of instruction and in faculty motivation and attitudes toward both instruction and students, suggesting that this approach has potential for department-wide teaching improvement. This article illustrates the complexities of the processes underlying teaching improvement, the longitudinal effort required to comprehensively improve instruction, and the reasons for failure and success in these efforts.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta, GA, April 1993.     

Processing instruction in helping map forms and meaning in second language acquisition of English simple past

In the first phase of this study, how English simple past is being taught in the classroom was examined through a questionnaire. The findings report how primary and secondary teachers perceived the difficulties faced by Cantonese English as a second language learners when acquiring English simple past, and the dominant teaching approaches or strategies used to address the problems. The second phase of the study examined the role of explicit instruction versus implicit instruction by involving primary 2 students being taught using three different forms of pedagogical intervention: processing instruction, traditional instruction, and implicit instruction. Findings show that the processing instruction group had significant improvement from pretest to posttest in the interpretation task, and they also obtained the greatest gains. In the production task, both processing instruction and traditional instruction groups obtained greatest gains and their improvement was significant. Explicit instruction was found to be more effective than implicit instruction in second language acquisition of English simple past.     

Improving instruction of veteran physics professors

In spite of the abundance of publications describing university faculty development programs and activities, little is known about the effectiveness of such programs on specific disciplines or subject areas. The fact that differences have been identified in the dimensions on which students of different university departments rate their teachers suggests that instructors of different departments need different types of programs for teaching improvement. This article describes a study that has looked into methods for improving instruction of university physics full professors with many years of teaching experience. Two methods for this aim were examined for effectiveness: a workshop and individualized consultation, both augmenting students' midterm ratings of their instructors. Analysis of pre- and postworkshop questionnaires reveals impressive improvement on the majority of items, particularly those of specific teaching techniques discussed in the workshop, but not on the global ratings of the teacher. The special consultation procedure has been shown to bring about substantial increase on overall teaching performance. We conclude that veteran teachers are often unable to improve significantly their overall teaching performance when provided with midterm feedback from students' questionnaires or when participating in a workshop for teaching improvement. Improving their instruction requires substantial and continuous expert consultation as well as investing substantial time and efforts of their own.     

Validation of a research-based student survey of instruction in a college of education

As a preparer of students for the profession of teaching, a college, school, or department of education in higher education has an expectation that instructors teach competently. In higher education, the student survey of instruction is one of the most important among other indicators of teaching effectiveness. This article presents a validation of a new student survey of instruction in a college of education. In this validation, we found the new survey to be as troublesome as the previous survey. Four major findings emerged from this study that offer hope for a new and improved survey of instructional effectiveness. These findings involve estimating reliability, subscore validity, course relevance and rigor of the instructor, and construct-irrelevant variables that threaten validity. Given the failed validation, many cogent observations provide guidance for the design and development of improved forms that may overcome these threats to validity and guide others in validating teaching effectiveness surveys.     

Differentiated instruction in teacher education: A case study of congruent teaching

Teachers are supposed to use forms of differentiated instruction to anticipate the differences among their students. However, the adaptation of teaching to the diversity of the group often takes place with difficulty. Teacher education is blamed for not preparing student teachers adequately for differentiated instruction. Several authors suggest that congruent teaching in teacher education might be an adequate solution to this problem. This case study aims to investigate the (congruent) realization of differentiated instruction in teacher education using ethnographic tools. The results indicate that the observed teacher educator demonstrated limited forms of differentiation, largely without providing meta-commentary. Therefore, she is not a role model on the subject of differentiated instruction in the view of student teachers. These results are discussed in depth, and form a basis for further research and suggestions for practice in teacher education.     

网络聊天软件:大学英语教学课外辅导"e"资源

网络聊天软件已成为网上获取信息的理想媒介，而如何利用其独特性来抓住网络技术更新所带来的机遇和发展空间，使大学英语课外辅导从“静态服务”走向“动态交流”，充分利用网络聊天软件资源来充实大学英语课外辅导，实现教学信息跨时空的交流和传递，努力推进大学英语课外辅导的信息化进程。文章分别对传统大学英语课外辅导的局限性和引入网络聊天软件加强课外辅导的特性和优势作了探讨。     

Flipping an English writing class with technology-enhanced just-in-time teaching and peer instruction

ABSTRACT

Just-in-time teaching and peer instruction are two student-centred approaches that have been widely employed in various science subjects but seldom in language classrooms. This research proposed a flipped learning model through technology-enhanced just-in-time teaching and peer instruction and investigated the effectiveness of this model in promoting English learning. Two groups of upper intermediate EFL learners participated in the study and learned in two different flipped learning modes, one with the newly proposed approach and the other with the conventional flipped learning approach. The results showed that the proposed model outperformed the conventional model in promoting the development of students’ writing skills, motivation, and tendency of critical thinking. The use of an assessment-centred tool (e.g. EDpuzzle) for interactive videos and cloud-based tools for real-time collaboration (e.g. Padlet and Google Docs) assisted in creating scaffolded learning experience, sharing culture, and opportunities of peer instruction for students in the flipped classroom with Just-in-time teaching and peer instruction. Such results implied that our flipped learning model is very conducive to language learning, and it is advised to be employed more widely in various language learning classes.     

Improving students' reading comprehension skills: Effects of strategy instruction and reciprocal teaching

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three different forms of strategy instruction on 210 elementary-school students' reading comprehension. Students were assigned to any one of three intervention conditions or to a traditional instruction condition (control condition). Training students were taught four reading strategies (summarizing, questioning, clarifying, predicting) and practiced these strategies in small groups (reciprocal teaching), pairs, or instructor-guided small groups. At both the post- and follow-up test the intervention students attained higher scores on an experimenter-developed task of reading comprehension and strategy use than the control students who received traditional instruction. Furthermore, students who practiced reciprocal teaching in small groups outperformed students in instructor-guided and traditional instruction groups on a standardized reading comprehension test.     

Scientific reasoning during adolescence: The influence of instruction in science knowledge and reasoning strategies

The mechanism linking instruction in scientific topics and instruction in logical reasoning strategies is not well understood. This study assesses the role of science topic instruction combined with logical reasoning strategy instruction in teaching adolescent students about blood pressure problems. Logical reasoning instruction for this study emphasizes the controlling-variables strategy. Science topic instruction emphasizes variables affecting blood pressure. Subjects receiving logical reasoning instruction link their knowledge of blood pressure variables to their knowledge of controlling variables more effectively than those receiving science topic instruction alone—their specific responses show how they attempt to integrate their understanding.     

论情景教学中情景的创设

随着新课改的不断深入，诸多新的教学理念已经越来越多地转化为实际行动体现在课堂教学中，情景教学也逐渐成为一个大家讨论比较多的热点话题。在此，笔者从情景教学的定义，情景教学的心理学基础，以及如何在教学实践中灵活运用情景教学出发，来深入研讨情景教学在实践层面上的一些具体问题。以期对一线的教育工作者提供一定的参考。     

Intrinsic Motivation and instruction: conflicting Views on the Role of Motivational Processes in Computer-Based Education

Microcomputers offer unique opportunities for systematic variations in the presentation of educational materials and for research concerning the social, motivational, and academic consequences of these different variations. This paper explores one set of theoretical controversies and policy debates that has been stimulated by this new technology for instruction. It is argued that conflicting views concerning the role of intrinsic motivational processes in instruction underlie differences of opinion concerning the relative costs and benefits of instructional games and discovery-learning environments, the expected impact of different styles of teaching, and the merits of alternative strategies for the design of detailed tutorial interactions.     

Handwriting automaticity and writing instruction in Australian kindergarten: an exploratory study

Accumulating evidence indicates handwriting automaticity is related to the development of effective writing skills. The present study examined the levels of handwriting automaticity of Australian children at the end of kindergarten and the amount and type of writing instruction they experienced before entering first grade. The current study involved 177 kindergarten children enrolled in 23 classrooms from seven government-funded primary schools in Western Australia. Individual child level data (e.g., handwriting automaticity and word-reading skills) were collected and teachers were asked to complete a survey assessing the amount of time and types of writing activities developed in their classrooms (e.g., teaching basic skills and teaching writing processes). Hierarchical linear models were conducted to examine total variance attributable to child and classroom levels. Results showed a total variance of approximately 20% in children’s handwriting automaticity attributable to differences among classrooms when gender and word-reading skills were controlled for. Large variability was noted in the amount and type of writing instruction reported by a subset of participating teachers. Handwriting automaticity was associated with the teaching of revising strategies but not with the teaching of handwriting. Implications for writing development and writing instruction are discussed.     

探究教学设计思路与实施策略

针对义务教育物理课程标准的新变化 ,本文认为初中物理教学应该突出探究能力培养 ,建构新的教学设计思路和教学实施策略。教学设计应整合三维目标、突出探究的核心过程 ,教学中应该把握实施策略。     

分组教学制在艺术中学视唱练耳教学中的作用

视唱练耳是音乐学习过程中既基础又重要的学科。它在音乐学习中起举足轻重的作用。本文分析了视唱练耳常用的教学组织形式，并着重对班级授课制与分组教学制进行比较分析，提出了在艺术中学采用分组教学制进行视喝练耳教学更能结合学生的实际情况，更适应各层次学生学习的需要。望此种教学组织形式能更有效的提高视唱练耳教学质量。     

Biology instruction using a generic framework of scientific reasoning and argumentation

We investigated biology instruction—using a generic framework of scientific reasoning and argumentation (SRA) with eight epistemic activities—on how to foster student learning in biological literacy which had not been clarified in previous studies. Our analysis of videotaped biology lessons and student achievement showed varying frequencies in using these activities and their effects on achievement. Those students taught with more epistemic activities had higher achievement. We believe that the SRA framework can be a worthwhile methodical tool for teaching biology to foster student learning. Therefore, we draw practically orientated implications for educational research, practitioners, teacher educators, and curriculum developers.     

Breaking the spell of differentiated instruction through equity pedagogy and teacher community

Koomen’s study of Wizard—an articulate, inquisitive, energetic seventh grader with a penchant for science—adversely juxtaposed his learning-centered identity with classroom experiences that marginalized him. I claim in my response that critical commentary about Wizard’s race is germane to any analysis of his experiences, as participation in an inclusive science classroom can be conceptualized as a racialized form of experience. My paper contributes a counternarrative to deficit normalizations of African American children—including students identified with exceptionalities—by rendering the inequities of differentiated instruction visible and theorizing about how this approach restricted Wizard’s learning and participation by positioning him as low status and less competent. I discuss four reasons why the strategy of differentiated instruction is ideologically opposed to goals for equitable classrooms and argue that this model invites reproductions of status orderings from the larger society into the classroom. I conclude with recommendations for an equity pedagogy through Complex Instruction developed inside teacher community as a viable alternative for this work.     

高师公共教育学课程的课堂教学实践与反思——从一名教师进行公共教育学课程教学改革的角度

在一系列因素的驱动下,高师公共教育学课程的教学改革由理想变为现实。本文回顾了公共教育学课程教学改革的具体做法：先是对课程教学目标进行分层,然后在＂行动与体验＂教学理念的指导下,阐述了公共教育学课堂教学改革的活动内容、活动形式、活动细则,接着指出了公共教育学课堂教学改革的活动效果,最后分析了有关教育学课程教学改革的几点启示与教训。     

Teaching philosophies guiding sexuality instruction in US colleges and universities

Teaching philosophies are central to the approach of pedagogical strategies but there has been little examination of discipline-specific teaching philosophies. This study addresses a significant gap in the literature by discussing the teaching philosophies of 122 instructors of sexuality courses. Sexuality education is unique compared to most disciplines due to the personal nature of the content, thus being more difficult for students and instructors to distance themselves from the course content. The teaching philosophies in this study conveyed two overarching approaches to sexuality instruction: the instructor’s perspective of the course and the approach of the sexuality instruction. Although teaching philosophies typically inform one’s practice of teaching and course content, this study proposes that sexuality education is intrinsically different than other areas of instruction despite the interdisciplinary backgrounds of college instructors.